Jews in Green reported last week that Vice Admiral M. E. Ferguson, head of the Navy's Uniform Board, has followed the lead of the Army and Air Force and ruled that Messianic Jewish chaplains must wear the Christian Cross, rather than the Jewish Ten Commandment Tablets, as lapel insignia. According to the Messianic Daily News, the Nov. 26 ruling by the Navy resulted in Messianic Jewish chaplain Michael Hiles refusing to enroll in the Navy Chaplain School. The ruling is characterized rather differently by competing sides. Jews in Green applauds it as a way to prevent Messianic chaplains from misidentifying themselves to unsuspecting Jewish service members. The Messianic Daily News calls the decision one that "essentially bars Messianic Jews from serving as chaplains ... because it would require them to wear an insignia inconsistent with their faith and belief system." [Thanks to God and Country blog for the lead.]
Friday, December 26, 2008
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7 comments:
Good, labeling should be truthful, not deceptive.
Messianic Jews are Jews. They simply believe they have found the Messiah.
The Military has no business dictating what kind of religious symbols chaplains may wear.
I am torn between the first and second comments. After all, Judaism is normally interpreted as rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, while who is to tell someone how they must represent their faith? At the same time, though they might not agree to crosses, they should have some method in which these widely divergent views should be easily identifiable. After all, it is the person they are attending and their views that must be considered paramount in any religious belief. Peace, Jim
I'm a Navy chaplain and "Yes", the military has every business dictating what kind of religious symbols chaplains may wear, especially when worn as part of a military uniform. There are many reasonable restrictions on wearing religious apparel with the uniform, chaplains are not exempt.
At least from my personal point of view, it is clear that a Messianic Jewish chaplain would be clearly mistaken for a Jewish chaplain at every turn. This could lead to considerable confusion and poor religious care for our shipmates. Frankly, it seems that the person in question was less concerned about providing religious ministry than he was concerned about his uniform if he was willing to walk away just because he didn't like the prescribed insignia. The Navy is likely better off.
Seems to me the solution would be something outside the two offered symbols. Every other religion has its own insignia, does it not? Why not the Messianics?
I have seen a chai with a cross in the center hexagram. It seems to fit both Jew and Messiah. Quite a striking piece, done in gold or silver.
On the other hand, I know from painful personal experience just how dedicated the Military machine is to homogenizing everything, leaving no shred of individuality, if at all possible. So, nobody hold yer breath, eh?
There is a symbol that he can wear. I attend a Messianic Synagogue. It dates back to the 2nd century. It has a Menorah at the top, star of David in the middle, and the bottom is a fish. They are not separated but blend together. It basically connects the Torah, to King David, to Christ. It is kind of a progression symbol of Yahweh (God's) word. It makes perfect sense to most of us. We have it on our Tallits, our scarves and our cars. Another thing most people have to realize is that not all Messianic's are Jew. A lot of Christian believer's want to worship Yeshua (Jesus) the biblical way, not as Constantine change Christianity.
I have only one way to say this as an enlisted Jew in the navy. I agree with chaps. furthermore we cannot just go making a collar device for every single independent thinker. next we will have 100 different kinds of chaplain and nobody will know what is going on. The Jews for Jesus all know that the cross is the the symbol for Jesus and Christianity is the religion for Jesus.
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